The Summer List 2012



School is out for summer!!!

Yay!

Here is our summer to do list for 2012! I hope all these things are "do-able". The only problem is I am going to be doing good to accomplish all this and my daughter thinks it is her duty to add one thing to it daily!

Since our life is anything but typical, I try to make summer full of fun. We can't afford to go on a cool vacation, so we make the simple simply awesome!

We are doing pretty good.

We have signed up for the library summer reading program.

We did a picnic at the farm one day last week since the weather wasn't too hot.

We had a PJ day on Monday since it rained.

We attended VBS (at least Madalynn and Jack did) on Saturday and the kids caught fireflies!

We attempted to go to Raven's Run Nature Sanctuary. The only problem was I had it confused with the McConnell's Springs Nature Park. We still had a great time. I just can't mark that thing off my list!





We took about a 1 mile walk and actually followed some fairly steep trails with the ole' jog stroller.

The weather was great! That is why I wanted to get this crossed off the list. Maybe another day!

We walked for about an hour and stopped and had a snack and a drink.

Miss Lillie Claire getting a drink too!

The most interesting thing by far was the Burr Oak tree that is supposed to be over 250 years old!Amazing!

The branches themselves were as big as tree trunks!

We stopped for a lunch at Zaxby's on the way home. Not exactly where I thought I was going this morning, but a fun day anyway!

The Cutest Baseball Player in the World

We just finished up a six week t-ball league with the YMCA. I wasn't sure how much Jack would enjoy it since he had never played before and really didn't even know the rules for baseball. He did pretty well though.

It was just the kind of organized sports we can handle. It was only for 6 weeks and we had practice and a game one day a week. We even lucked out most of the 6 weeks and didn't have terribly hot weather. He really enjoyed himself especially as he practiced and got better at hitting and catching. We may even do it again sometime. I knew with Jeremy's work load/schedule and it being hot weather and the kids being used to going out to the farm alot that we weren't the kind of family to be out at the ballpark 3-4 nights per week. This was perfect.

He was on the Braves team, so we now have a Braves ball cap.It was the only southern ball team he could have been on. The others were the Blue Jays, the Cubs, and the Reds. He also got a t-shirt with his number on it. (Lucky #7!)

I also bought him some baseball pants. I had to go back and buy a belt so he could keep them up. The first time he tried them on, I turned them loose and they hit the floor. (He doesn't get his hips from his mother!) Shorts would have been cooler, but he fell and scratched himself up the first time around the bases.Plus he just looked so cute in them!

He had really nice coaches. He technically had one coach but a couple of other guys helped too. His coach had never coached before but did a really great job with all the kids. We had a couple that were handfuls. Jack did a much better job of paying attention than he did when he played soccer. So maybe this is more of his thing.

All in all, it was a really fun experience and I was actually sad when it was over!

Summer is over in just a few hours!

I can not believe that it is over! This is the last night we have with no school in the morning. This time tomorrow we will be doing the early bedtime routine for real! It just doesn't seem possible. M got out of school exactly 2 months and 1 week ago and now we have exactly 1 day left! I hate large amounts of snow! We have bought all the school supplies and uniforms for warm weather. (I had to do that a few weeks ago since the last full week of summer vacation was spent ... away on vacation!) We have crossed most of the things off my summer "to do" list. We did orientation tonight and saw who was in the class and met the teacher. She is even ready to go back she says. I love that about her; she likes school. I hope it lasts forever. I was like that. Other than the nervousness that pervaded my very soul right before school started, I didn't mind going back.

Not only will she start Wednesday, but Big Jack will start a new preschool that day too. He will go Monday, Wednesday, Friday for half days. Plus he will attend preschool at church on Tuesdays. So he (and Mrs. Mama the bus driver) will be super busy. I hope I am not too sad. I went back and forth about whether or not to send him that many days. I hope I can get alot done around the house and exercise during his time at school.

I may have more to do than I can handle since we recently purchased a 90 acre farm! I have no idea how to drive a tractor, but I guess I will be learning. I may have to teach at the church preschool too. I have escaped this until this point and in all honesty, I need to help. I am bad though...I will help when drafted. I may be from Tennessee, but I am not much of a volunteer!

Summer Time

We have been having so much fun lately. I don't know if it is because I have kids that are older this summer or the knowledge that one of them will go off to "real" school this fall or what, but I am really enjoying our summer this year.

We have traveled to an amusement park and stayed in a hotel, visited family, camped out, attended VBS, swam and played with friends, enjoyed cookouts, and enjoyed sleeping in the past few weeks. We also each took one child on a date this past week. Jack and I went to sit on tractors at the local dealership and Jeremy and Madalynn ate at Applebee's complete with dessert.


Jeremy actually took me on a date Saturday night too! I was so impressed. We went to eat at Steak n' Shake, to Kohls's and looked around, (he never goes shopping) and then to a movie. It was so fun! If I hadn't been sick we would have really had a good time. I hope he does this more! I keep asking what he has done, because this is highly unusual! (ha ha) He has been very good yesterday and today about offering to go get the kids at VBS so that they didn't have to miss or me spend 30-40 min on the road dropping them off and picking them up. He also had a day off today. THE FIRST DAY OFF IN THE YEAR 2009! He had camped with Madalynn last night. (Although they got an early morning wake up call courtesy of Dr. Caleb! Gotta love being a veterinarian) Anyway, we all went to Cracker Barrel and had a good breakfast this morning.

We have attended a rodeo here in Georgetown and the kids and I have been to rope with Jeremy a couple of times. We are also doing the summer reading program at the library and trying to do a little "schoolwork" so that Jack and Mady's minds stay somewhat focused.




We still have our real vacation to Yellowstone National Park yet to go later in July. I am dreading the worry of the flight, or should I say FLIGHTS but other than that it should be fun. We are meeting Jeremy's grandparents out there. They are driving out with some of their friends and staying in their camper trailer. I just hope my kids don't get eaten by a bear or something. Jeremy wants to let the kids stay with the grandparents, but I have reservations. (No pun intended) I just don't know that all of us folks from West Tennessee, especially the older ones, take the threat of wildlife that could eat you seriously enough. I would feel better knowing I was the one in charge of keeping a close eye on them. I think bears are less likely to be found in hotels than in campgrounds.

I have apparently been blessed with the crud. In summer no less! I really didn't feel good yesterday, but the weather was great and so I fixed up an old sheet as a "tent" in the yard and made the kids a picnic lunch. They loved it. Jack at one point had taken his John Deere pedal car out to the tent and had it parked underneath. Priorities you know!





I am trying to enjoy each day with my little ones, because I realize it will all too soon be just a memory. It won't matter if my laundry was caught up (it never is), or if my house was clean, or even if we had leftovers or fast food for supper. I want my kids to remember the things we did with them.